New Film Artist in Residence at UCC

Carmel Winters appointed as Film Artist in Residence at University College Cork

University College Cork and the Arts Council are delighted to announce the appointment of Carmel Winters as Film Artist in Residence (Screenwriter) 2014-15.

The Film Artist in Residence role is jointly funded by UCC and the Arts Council, and is offered in association with the Cork Film Festival. It is designed to provide a screenwriter of distinction with a unique opportunity to develop his/her practice in a university environment while offering students the opportunity to engage with a practising artist in a meaningful way during the course of their studies.

During her residency Carmel Winters will provide lectures and workshops to students taking the BA in Film and Screen Media at UCC and will participate in a public event at the Cork Film Festival in November.

Speaking of the appointment Fionnuala Sweeney, Head of Film at the Arts Council, said: ‘The Arts Council wishes to congratulate Carmel on becoming the first Film Artist in Residence at UCC. She is a uniquely talented film artist with an original and singular voice who brings a keen insight to difficult subjects in her work. We hope that the residency will provide her with the time to further develop her practice in the creative and supportive environment offered by UCC.’

Professor Caroline Fennell, Head of the College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences, UCC, said: ‘This exciting appointment of the first Film Artsist in Residence represents our ongoing commitment in UCC to ensuring that our students have an opportunity to engage with and be inspired by distinguished artists in a range of creative fields. We look forward to welcoming Carmel Winters to our community’.

Carmel Winters

Carmel Winters is an award-winning story-teller and a writer/director of bold and compelling drama for stage and screen. Her debut feature film, Snap, which she both wrote and directed, was critically acclaimed as ‘engrossing… nervy, audacious filmmaking’ (Variety) and ‘a masterclass in storytelling’ (HotPress), picking up a host of awards at international festivals, including Critic’s Choice, (Karlovy-Vary), Best Film (Montevideo), Best Film and Best Director (Dublin Critic’s Circle at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival). Her recent plays include B for Baby, which won the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best New Play. She has been described by film director John Madden as ‘a proper talent, with a gift for visceral storytelling’. Carmel is currently preparing to shoot her next feature film, Float like a Butterfly, with Samson Films.